It's a bird! It's a plane!
It's a hot air balloon?
Residents of the Lantern Chase subdivision in Delaware County experienced an interesting sight when a hot air balloon pilot made a calculated landing at the intersection of Merrick Boulevard and Stonhope Drive at around 7:15 p.m. Aug. 29.
Russ Jurg, owner of Columbus Aeronauts and the organization's main commercial pilot, was behind the landing that left the neighborhood's kids fascinated. A family celebrating multiple birthdays were the passengers of the balloon.
Columbus Aeronauts is a hot air balloon promotional company focused on taking up passengers for hot air balloon experiences, Jurg told the Dispatch.
The balloon took off from Bellepoint, Ohio, and was in the air for about an hour, Jurg
said. It traveled around 7 to 8 miles in distance. Hot air balloons typically fly anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 feet above the ground, Jurg said.
"We were nearing the end of our flight and the winds became slower and slower," Jurg said. "And we decided it was time to find a place to land."
Jurg spotted a road with no power lines and many families outside, relaxing in their backyards. No damage was done, and nobody was hurt. Despite some social media discourse to the contrary, it was not an emergency landing, Jurg said.
A video of the deflating balloon was shared in a popular Delaware County Facebook group, prompting comments of awe and confusion regarding the landing.
"We thought it would be a nice place to land for the kids to enjoy seeing a hot air balloon right up front, in front of their face," Jurg said. "I know I used to be a kid, with my uncle being a pilot. And when I was like 4 or 5 years old and I saw a hot air balloon, my eyes lit up and it was just something that was just so mesmerizing. And so, I thought I would do a nice thing for the community."
The landing was a "normal, routine" landing for a hot air balloon, Jurg said. He has been a pilot for 24 years and can land anywhere "from on the sides of roads, and parks, and fields." What made this location ideal was its accessibility for the Columbus Aeronauts chase vehicle, Jurg said.
"We have a chase vehicle that follows us throughout the entire flight," Jurg said. "We're being tracked with a GPS tracker, and our chase vehicle was there, and my chase crew was there ready to greet us, and they helped us pack up the balloon."
Parents were taking pictures of their children in front of the balloon, Jurg said, and he put the burner on to show the neighborhood kids the flame that comes out of the balloon.
"I was putting on a nice little display for everybody," Jurg said. "And the kids were loving it. The parents were loving it. It brought the whole community together. And it was just a really fun, positive atmosphere."
A second hot air balloon operated by pilot Trent Bishop landed on the corner of Penwell Drive and Franks Field Drive, Jurg said.
Dispatch Reporter Nora Igelnik can be reached at nigelnik@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Hot air balloon descends on Delaware County neighborhood. See the story behind the landing
